A new curial office?

Sandro Magister, The First "Court" of Believers and Atheists Will Open in Paris

It was called for by pope Ratzinger, by the name of "court of the gentiles." It will be inaugurated by his minister for culture, Archbishop Ravasi. It will be a place for dialogue with those far from God, the first act of a wider project of new evangelization

From the article:

ROME, June 24, 2010 – As the Italian judiciary investigates the affairs of the congregation for the evangelization of peoples, during the years when its prefect was Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, at the Vatican a new – more sober – office is being created, dedicated to another kind of evangelization: not in missionary territory, but in the countries of ancient Christian tradition in which the faith is most weakened or has disappeared.

The idea is not entirely new. After Vatican Council II, a secretariat for nonbelievers was created and lasted for a few years, entrusted to Austrian cardinal Franz Kõnig. Now it is coming back in the more solid form of a pontifical council. Benedict XVI has discussed it with a few cardinals: from Ruini to Scola, from Bagnasco to Schönborn. A "motu proprio" will determine its makeup and duties.

Meanwhile, however, there is already concrete action toward the same goal of dialoguing with those without faith, through the initiative of a pontifical council with a long track record, the council for culture headed by Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi.

The initiative is called "Court of the gentiles." The idea and the name come from Benedict XVI, who launched them on December 21, 2009, in the speech with which he extended Christmas greetings to the Roman curia.

Why would a new curial office be needed for the evangelization of formerly Christian countries? Is evangelization of non-Christians (or post-Christians) not the primary responsibility of the bishops who still inhabit those countries? Doesn't the creation of a new office at the Vatican go against decentralization? I find this move baffling. As for the Court of the gentiles -- the inaugural event will be taking place in Paris next year at the Sorbonne, UNESCO, and the Académie Française. Will the archbishop of Paris be taking part? What about the archbishop of Lyon? Isn't he the primate of France?

One could argue that Matteo Ricci pursued the same path -- attempting to convert the literati of China to secure a place for Christianity in China, and through their patronage the conversion of the rest of the country. But is that how evangelization was accomplished in the early Church? Was there not a broad effort aimed at reaching people of all stations?